Balanced Play Leads CSU To 5-2 Victory At Northern Illinois

DeKALB, Ill. - Behind a balanced lineup and a fifth straight doubles point, the Cleveland State men's tennis team captured a 5-2 victory at Northern Illinois. The win evened CSU's record to 4-4 on the year, while the Huskies are now 8-3.

"We came out on fire today in doubles play and we were able to pick up the quick point which propelled us for the rest of the match," assistant coach Jay Tee said. "Two of the three doubles teams took care of business today and it was good to see how strong and focused they played."

Sunday's doubles point marked the fifth straight match that Cleveland State has been able to get out to an early 1-0 lead. The Vikings were led by the duo of Jorg Van Der Vloet and Matt Kuelker who posted their fourth straight victory with an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles. Yannick Goossens and Matt Ford claimed the second win for CSU, posting an 8-5 victory at the No. 2 spot.

"In singles we got out to a really slow start, losing five of six first sets, but we dug in and out-competed Northern Illinois the rest of the way," Tee said. "We were able to get some big wins today, including at the top of the lineup which is great to see. It was an intense match all around and everyone played great tennis that will carry over into the rest of the season."

Goossens, who was playing at No. 1 singles for the first time this season, picked up a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 win to put the Vikings up 2-0. After dropping the No. 2 singles match, Kuelker gave CSU a 3-1 lead with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory at the No. 3 spot.

The Huskies posted their final point at No. 4 singles, before Nolan Marks and Ford ended the match with a pair of victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to give Cleveland State the 5-2 win. Marks claimed a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory at the No. 5 spot, while Ford posted his team-leading sixth singles victory at the No. 6 spot (3-6, 6-3, 6-4).

Next weekend, Cleveland State will travel to Michigan State for a 6:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, March 3 before hosting Case Western Reserve at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 4.